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Guadalupe Gonzalez, center, and Maria Gomez, right, are joined by another volunteer at the opening of the field office for the "Lots of People who Support Eric Garcetti for Mayor 2013" political action committee, April 8, 2013.
Sharon McNary/KPCC

Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel rebooted her campaign Tuesday with a speech that defended her support from City Hall unions and attacked her opponent, Eric Garcetti, as someone who “is good at handshakes, but who won’t stand by his work or his commitment.”

While the Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel campaigns have spent millions of dollars in the race for L.A. mayor, independent political action committees are spending millions more. The PAC supporting Eric Garcetti, “Lots of People Who Support Eric Garcetti for Mayor 2013,” is focusing its resources on making direct contact with pro-Garcetti voters, particularly Latinos.

The staff of the “Lots of People” PAC includes a lot of veterans of President Obama’s re-election campaign. The PAC’s campaign director, Mary Jane Stevenson, ran the Obama campaign in California. The PAC is also borrowing a key Obama strategy: It plans to spend nearly $2 million putting paid staffers and volunteers in direct contact with Latinos supportive of Garcetti.

L.A. City Councilwoman Jan Perry has endorsed state Sen. Curren Price, who is hoping to be elected to the seat Perry has represented for a dozen years.
Jan Perry

Alice Walton|April 10, 2013

State Sen. Curren Price's city council campaign was endorsed Wednesday by Councilwoman Jan Perry, who cited promises of economic development in South Los Angeles as the reason for her support.

Perry is termed out of her Ninth District seat after 12 years in office. Price and Ana Cubas are running to replace her in the May 21st runoff.

"Curren has pledged to right the disparity that has resulted from redistricting and will work to restore the revenue connection between the southern portion of the district and downtown," Perry said in a statement. "This connection will ensure the economic future of our neighborhoods and is an important promise that will help support the people of the Ninth District today and in the future."

During the most recent round of redistricting, the Ninth District was stripped of almost all of its downtown assets. The councilwoman has frequently said downtown developments were crucial to South L.A. because they generated jobs as well as dollars for public housing projects.

A State Assembly budget committee voted Wednesday to approve a loan for the High-Speed Rail Authority.

The $26.2 million would cover operating costs for the agency that's building California’s bullet train while it seeks to resolve legal challenges over its use of voter-approved bonds.

In 2008, Californians approved Proposition 1A, authorizing the state to issue $9 billion in bonds to build a bullet train that speeds riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than three hours.

But critics say the High-Speed Rail Authority’s latest plan for the project won’t provide that fast of a ride.

“They are claiming that they can still meet the two hours and forty minutes, but they don’t have any evidence to show that,” said attorney Stu Flashman, who’s suing the state on behalf of various cities and environmental groups to stop the project.

In a press release emailed at 12:12 p.m. Wednesday, Greuel's campaign invited Garcetti to meet her for a debate at 2:15 at Camino Nuevo Charter High School, where she already had an appearance planned with LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia.

A spokesman for Garcetti declined, saying he would keep his previously scheduled 2 p.m. news conference.

"This is another political stunt from [City] Controller Greuel," said campaign spokesman Jeff Millman, "just like her claim to have found $160 million in waste, fraud and abuse. Let's end the political games and get serious about education."

That'll do it for our town hall today. Come talk to us next week in Westchester, when we'll be at The Coffee Company. Bring your issues for L.A.'s next mayor, and your appetite!

2:15 p.m.: Dear Mayor, keep Metro's expansion on track

Connie Ho came from Alhambra to talk to us about what she wants from the next mayor, but her thoughts reflect many we heard in NoHo as well.

"The thing that I want the next mayor to address is public transportation." Specifically, the expansion of L.A.'s Metro system.

1: 55 p.m.: Dear Mayor, the bus system is getting worse

We've from a lot of people about the need to ramp up L.A.'s public transportation system. But Robert Stokoe, 77, says he doesn't want to see the bus system – on which he and many others rely – suffer as more money goes toward subways.